 |
| Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) |
The Tamarind tree is little known in the west, but common in Africa and Asia. It name comes from the Arabic and Hebrew words
tamar , which means "date", and
hind, which means "India". Its fruit can be eaten, turned into a drink, or used to flavor ice cream. Both its fruit and bark are used in traditional medicines and modern studies have shown that they contain chemicals that can work as anitibiotics. In Asian temples, the fruit pulp is used to polish brass Buddhas.
There is a tree of Tamarind in the Utility Plants greenhouse, in Tel Aviv University Botanical Garden
ReplyDeleteYes, but its not nearly as big and impressive as this one!
ReplyDeleteso, how is it different from a date tree?
ReplyDeleteIts completely different in everything but name. A date as you kn ow it is a palm tree, which basically means its a grass on steroids. When you look at the trunk of a palm tree, you notice that its basically like a pole with no branches, only leaves at the top. This is similar to wheat, corn, bamboo, etc. The tamarind is a real tree, whose trunk grows also horizontally, it makes branches, etc. the fruit also looks completely different from the regular date (see http://www.bijlmakers.com/fruits/tamarind/tamarind_tree_fruits_6.jpg).
ReplyDelete